Bell UH-1A 59-1693 US Army 1st Aviation Brigade Army Aviation School

These are 1/72 scale decals for Bell UH-1A Iroquois 59-1693, assigned to the U.S. Army 1st Aviation Brigade at the Army Aviation School, Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The UH-1A was the Army's first production turbine-powered utility helicopter, and Fort Rucker was where the Army taught its pilots to fly it. As the home of Army aviation since 1954, Fort Rucker — the "Home of Army Aviation" — trained every rotary-wing aviator who would go on to fly combat missions in Vietnam, and the UH-1A was the aircraft that introduced them to the Huey family. The transition from piston-powered trainers to the turbine-powered Iroquois represented a generational leap in Army aviation capability, and Fort Rucker was where that leap was made.

The Army Aviation School operated under the 1st Aviation Brigade's training mission, producing the pilots who would fill the cockpits of the rapidly expanding Army helicopter force throughout the 1960s. Serial 59-1693 wears the standard olive drab scheme typical of early Iroquois training airframes.

A great subject for any U.S. Army aviation or Fort Rucker training collection, and a natural companion to the other early Iroquois family listings. Please allow some time for decal printing and shipping.